When Death Is Near: Eerie Facts About The Death Rattle

Terminal respiratory secretions are sounds often produced by someone who is near death as a result of fluids such as saliva and phlegm accumulating in the throat and upper chest. Known colloquially as the death rattle, the phenomenon is eerie, to say the least, as it signals when someone is about to meet the Grim Reaper. Read on below.

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Death rattle. As an individual approaches death, their body begins to react— and thus, exhibit symptoms. Most often, the breathing patterns shift and start to create a rattling sound, Medical News Today reports. This, as noted up top, is known as the death rattle.

Part of the dying process. Safe to say, the death rattle is a part of the dying process. It can occur when someone who is dying is no longer able to swallow, cough, or otherwise clear saliva and mucus from the back of the throat.

The sound. So, exactly what does the death rattle sound like? Well, it varies. As Medical News Today notes, it “may be a crackling, wet noise that is amplified as the person breathes."